CV NEWS FEED // The Laken Riley Act, a measure aimed at reducing illegal immigrant crime, took a major step toward becoming law Thursday, when the U.S. Senate voted 84-9 to break the filibuster and begin debate on the legislation.
The bill received well over the minimum 60 votes it needed to advance to a vote.
In a development that surprised many observers, a majority of Senate Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, voted to advance the bill to debate.
The news marks a reversal from last year, when the then-Democratic Senate majority, led by Schumer, stonewalled the act.
In total, 33 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus voted to break the filibuster – a figure far higher than previous reports indicated was likely. Five Democrats and one Republican did not vote. All other Republicans voted to advance the bill, as expected.
The nine members of the Democratic Senate Caucus who voted against advancing the border security bill were Sens. Cory Booker, D-NJ, Mazie Hirono, D-HI, Andy Kim, D-NJ, Ed Markey, D-MA, Jeff Merkley, D-OR, Brian Schatz, D-HI, Tina Smith, D-MN, Elizabeth Warren, D-MA, and Bernie Sanders, I-VT.
BREAKING: 9 Democrats just voted against advancing the Laken Riley Act which would require law enforcement to detain illegals who commit theft-related crimes.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 9, 2025
Corey Booker
Mazie Hirono
Andy Kim
Elizabeth Warren
Ed Markey
Jeff Merkley
Bernie Sanders
Tina Smith
Brian Schatz
Why… pic.twitter.com/HDWHMAyFIG
On the other hand, two Senate Democrats, Sens. John Fetterman, D-PA, and Ruben Gallego, D-AZ, co-sponsored the bill and publicly advocated for its passage. Both Fetterman and Gallego represent states carried by President-elect Donald Trump in November.
Gallego, who had also voted for the act while serving in the House last year, won election to Arizona’s then-open senate seat on the same day Trump carried the state by nearly six points.
As CatholicVote previously reported, the bill “requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain certain non-U.S. nationals … who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.”
The legislation is named for slain Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, who was brutally murdered on her college campus by Jose Ibarra, an illegal migrant from Venezuela. Ibarra had previously been arrested for shoplifting and released. Friday would have been Riley’s 23rd birthday.
>> JANUARY 7TH: HOUSE PASSES LAKEN RILEY ACT WITH SUPPORT OF 48 DEMOCRATS <<
The act’s primary Senate sponsor, Sen. Katie Britt, R-AL, said stated that the bill breaking the filibuster is “an important step forward in making our country safer, but there’s still more work to be done to get this commonsense legislation across the finish line.”
FOX News reported that Schumer came around to voting in favor of breaking the filibuster “in order to have the opportunity for debate and for Democrats to offer amendments.”
Booker, one of the nine Democrats who voted against advancing the legislation, claimed that he fully supports “the idea of stopping violent criminals in our country who threaten our safety,” adding, “but there are so many flaws in this bill.”
The Hill reported: “Republicans have made it clear that border security and illegal immigration are among their top priorities after winning the White House and full control of Congress in November.”
“Across the aisle, the bill also gave Democrats an opportunity fresh out of the election to stake ground on border security, an issue that gave them agita throughout the 2024 election cycle,” The Hill’s report added.